Wednesday, October 5, 2011

For a guy who has only played wide receiver for a season and a half, Malcolm Mitchell has certainly performed as advertised thus far through five games and has become Aaron Murray's top target. As a prep recruit, Mitchell was ranked as the number one corner in the nation and most analysts projected him to start early in the secondary no matter where he signed to play.

Not slow

During his senior campaign at Valdosta, Mitchell moved over to offense and became one of the most electric receivers in the country, racking up 1,419 yards on 77 receptions and turning many heads along the way. Mitchell is talented enough to start on both sides of the ball, but offense clearly presented his best chance to get on the field early.

Thankfully for UGA Mitchell, who was given the choice of offense or defense, had the foresight to understand that he could impact the Dawgs immediately as a pass catcher with the departure of A.J. Green and the lack of proven depth at the position. At 6-1 187lbs, Mitchell possesses average size, but has room to gain another 20 pounds of muscle without losing any speed.

So far this season, Malcolm has shown very good speed and exceptional foot quickness coming in and out of his breaks. Mitchell's route running has improved and will continue to do so. He still tends to catch the ball with his body at times, but experience and practice will help in this department.

Mitchell currently ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in almost every receiving category and first amongst all freshmen receivers. Mitchell's 22 receptions rank third in the conference, his 312 yards are good enough for eighth, while his 3 touchdowns place him in a tie for sixth. Mitchell is also tied for third in receptions per game (4.4) and currently sits at eighth in yards per game (62.4).

Mitchell's future at wideout is limitless and as long as he stays healthy should put up very good numbers for the remainder of the season and for years to come.